I’m trying this new series of articles on Fridays called “Favorite Things Friday” where I will be sharing some of my favorite things, products, life tips, in hopes that you might find it useful in some way for your family. Please let me know in the comments if you would like to see more articles like this. I’m experimenting with this for the next few weeks. If you would like to see more articles like this, I can keep this series going. 😁 To go along with these Friday articles, I’ll also include a Giveaway!
My kids love strawberries and blueberries. One of the biggest frustrations I have with strawberries is that they rot so quickly in the fridge. So much so that I started avoiding buying Organic Strawberries, since they tend to go bad even faster. Often, I’ll check back after 2-3 days of buying them, and the entire pack is moldy and needs to be thrown away. I hate wasting food! (Really, I hate wasting anything that I paid for with hard earned money.)
Let me document some tips and products I found helpful in helping to keep strawberries fresh for longer (and other produce too).
How to Keep Strawberries Fresh for Longer
Here are some tips that I’ve learned on how to keep strawberries last longer than the usual 2-3 days. The key to keeping strawberries fresh is to keep them stored clean and dry.
1. Wash Right Away with Vinegar
Once I get home from the grocery store, I wash the Strawberries before they go in the fridge. Mold spores on the fruits are what makes them go bad quickly.
I wash my strawberries with Apple Cider Vinegar and water mix. You can do this in a big bowl or a salad spinner. Leave it soaking for a few minutes. The vinegar solution helps to remove spores and bacteria on the fruit, thus extending their life.
I typically add about 2 tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar to a bowl of water. But you can use regular Vinegar as well. Some people add more vinegar for their wash solution (ie. 1 cup vinegar for 3 cups of water), in which case you’ll have to rinse extra well.
2. Dry Your Strawberries
Drying your berries is the next important step. You can get rid of excess water by spinning it a few times in a salad spinner. AND/OR drying it with a soft cloth or paper towel.
You can also air dry them in a colander, but with so many things going on, I’m afraid I’ll forget about the drying berries on the counter overnight (lol), so I don’t do this.
3. Storing Your Strawberries for Freshness
The quick and cheapest solution (what I used to use) for storage is to line the plastic containers (they came in) with paper towels and put the berries back in the containers.
And then a few months ago, there was a deal we posted on these Rubbermaid FreshWorks containers. I got a set to try and have been hooked ever since! 😍
There’s a little perforated tray in the bottom of the container to keep produce from soaking in any condensation and moisture. And the lid has little “holes” in it to allow air flow in and out of the container.
I’ve since purchased a few more of these from Target (with the food storage category coupon), and I use it with all my fruit that needs washing.
One tip I found to be helpful is to wash all your fruits and veggies in one sitting. Then dry and store. It’ll save you time in the long run instead of washing one item as you need it. Plus, it’s so much more convenient to use, without the additional friction of needing to wash fruits. In the mornings, I love pulling out my green and white containers of already washed fruits and packing my kid’s lunches. SO Nice!
Giveaway Time! Win a Set of FreshWorks for FREE
To make it fun, I’m gonna include a Giveaway to go with these Favorite Things Friday articles every Friday💃. Check back every Friday for more of my Favorite Things.
For today’s giveaway, I’m giving away the 3-Piece set of FreshWorks Produce Saver Food Storage Containers to 4 Readers. This giveaway starts on Friday 8/24 and will end on Monday 8/27. Winners will be announced on this blog only on Tuesday 8/28 before 12pm PST. You’ll have 48 hours to claim your prize.
To enter in this giveaway: leave a comment below with a useful tip you use at home or something you recently learned or tell me about one of your favorite products. And tell me where you’re reading from (city and state). Let me know by leaving a comment on this post.
This post is NOT sponsored by anyone. I just really love this product and wanted to share my experience. All prizes are paid for by myself.
🙋 Do You Have a Favorite Product or Life Tip? Want to be published in a future “Favorite Things Friday”? Shoot me an email with your write up and pictures. If I accept your submission and publish your tip, I’ll also send you a $50 Gift Card to the store of your choice. Send email to tina@FreeStuffFinder.com with subject “Favorite Things Friday Tip”.
I love using Awesome spray product on my stove top and counter tops. It’s a great product that removes grease very easily. I’m from Shafter, ca
I sometimes put foods in freezers to keep them longer
Garden Grove, CA
One thing that to me has been very useful in my house is actually a food item I put cilantro in a cup with some water you can cover it with the bag or leave it without the bag and I will keep the cilantro fresher than normal from Oklahoma City Oklahoma
I always do prep work for lunches on Sunday. Put cookies, cheese, chips, pretzels, dips, fruits, etc. in baggies or small containers. Then as everyone is emptying lunchboxes and making sandwiches each night they can also grab whatever else they need without pulling everything out again.
Gainesville, GA
Hi! I’m reading from Mesa, AZ and I love how easy it is to use a magic eraser to remove streaks or marks throughout the house especially on our white cabinets!
I’m from Hillsborough, NC. I’ve recently found reusable produce bags so I can reduce my plastic waste while keeping my produce fresh!
I’m from Euless, TX and I have a tip for getting permanent marker off the hard surfaces. Magic Eraser is a great product to use. Also, rubbing alcohol will get permanent marker off of fabric and upholstery.
One household “hack” I’ve learned is not much of a hack, but definitely something I’ve picked up that helps me a bunch. when we buy produce, we put them in little plastic bags to put in the cart, right? Instead of throwing those away right away, we keep them just until we prepare the produce, and put the food scraps in there. It’s easy to then tie up and throw away. It reduces the mess and means we’re not just throwing bags away without re-using them.
I’m from Garland, TX.
My favorite hack for keeping my produce fresh is rotating them while in the fridge. Don’t just keep them in the same spot! It’s been working for me! Houston,Texas
Hi I’m from Whittier, CA. A tip my mom has actually shown me is that vinegar is pretty good for everything. To clean the mirrors and have no stripes/lines showing that you clean it, use newspaper and vinegar/water mix. Also, to clean mold, use vinegar and water mixture (I.e. on pans, cups, lunch bags). Vinegar is also useful to get smelly smells gone.
I have been curious if these containers really work. They’re a little too pricey for me but now that I know they do work, I’ll see if I can get one at a time. My one year old loves strawberries and blueberries! So if I can keep them good longer with these containers, I’ll definately try and get them!